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Poker News Nuggets 09/08: Raymer on LNCC Board, Good and Bad from Partouche

Poker News Nuggets are presented on PokerWorks each week to give readers a glance at some of the big news stories in and around the poker industry. From international poker tournaments to player prop bets, from political happenings to sponsorship deals, game enthusiasts can stay informed with these weekly tidbits of information.

What They’re Playing

Partouche: The third season of the Partouche Poker Tour found its latest stop in Cannes, France, and the turnout for the event was impressive. Few English-speaking media outlets covered the event, but the €8,500 buy-in NLHE Main Event brought big names from around the world resulting in a 755-player field and €5,864,160 prize pool. Those numbers broke the event’s own records, as the previous year had only 502 players. This year, the top 81 players made it into the money with €1.3 million reserved for the ultimate winner, and the final day of play found the final table set with nine players, all of whom will return to Cannes on November 6 to play it out in front of TV cameras. Among the final tablists were Vanessa Selbst, Fabrice Soulier, and Soren Kongsgaard, and Selbst held the lead over the other competitors.

WCOOP: The first three days of the 2010 PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker found eight winners, as one of the nine tournaments was a two-day event that had yet to play out. But among the winners were Alexander “AlekKP” Peterson, David “CrabMaki” Shallow, Joao “joao bauer” Divino, and Jamie “Xaston” Kaplan. Several of the initial winners have taken home substantial six-figure payouts thus far, and all tournaments are finding themselves with solid fields and prize pools that soar past the guarantees. Events are scheduled to run through September 27, and the 62 tournaments guarantee $50 million in cumulative money, though that dollar figure is already being bypassed for a larger one. Who’s Playing

Greg Raymer: Long self-identified as a Libertarian when it comes to his strong political views and activism, Greg Raymer has recently accepted a more prominent role in the party as he became a member of the Board of the Libertarian National Congressional Committee (LNCC). The Board of Directors also boasts of poker pro Phil Gordon among its ranks, and Raymer notes that he will not only fight for the rights of poker players in the United States, as he has been doing for several years, but he will “fight for economic and personal freedoms for all Americans.” Raymer was vetted years ago to possibly fill the position of vice presidential candidate on the Libertarian ticket during the last presidential election, but the more recent appointment to the Board seems to appropriately suit his passion for politics.Sherkhan Farnood: His name isn’t one of the most well-known in poker, but he does have a record with many cashes on the international poker circuit. And Sherkhan Farnood won a World Series of Poker bracelet in 2008 at the WSOP Europe £2,500 HORSE event. But his name is also an international one outside of poker, as he was the Chairman of the Kabul Bank in Afghanistan. Recently, however, he resigned under new Afghan reforms stating that only banking professionals can hold such a position, but he has also been accused of mismanagement via bad real estate deals and unrecorded loans, and he now faces arrest. Meanwhile, customers at the Kabul Bank have withdrawn their money at a rapid pace, leaving the bank unsure of its future. As for Farnood, more information on charges against him should be announced as Afghani officials sort it out.

Cheaters: Several players recently attending the aforementioned Partouche Poker Tour in Cannes have left with bad tastes in their mouths, alleging cheating and other shady dealings on the part of the tournament’s staff and management. Mickey “mementmori” Petersen, a well-known online poker pro, recently posted on several forums the details of some of the events in Cannes, which seemed to indicate that French players were given priority over others, the English-only rule at the tables did not apply, and the floor staff made decisions that favored French players. The story is lengthy, but reportedly, players like Michael Binger can and will corroborate in future posts. The tournament staff were alerted to the complaints and may release a statement regarding those issues. Where They’re Playing

Not in Switzerland: Despite positive signs that poker would become more prevalent in the country of Switzerland due to a recent ruling by the country’s Supreme Court that judged poker to be a game of luck rather than skill, the government has yet to change its tune on the subject. The Federal Council recently announced that poker tournaments will continue to be prohibited outside casinos, though home games would remain legal. The current law keeps international poker events from being hosted in Switzerland because the casinos cannot host the large crowds, and many in the country claim that jobs are being lost because of the law.